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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Everyone that knows me knows I love mermaids and I was so thrilled when Betty of Simply Betty Stamps decided that our newest monthly challenge would involve mermaids. She offered a good mermaid image and an evil mermaid image. Both were so cute but I picked the Good Mermaid. I colored her up with copic markers, added some glitter, and made a "stand-up" card.

I have been guest designing all month over at the Outlawz Sketch Challenge. Here is my card for the last Wednesday of July. I have had so much fun being the guest designer. All of the ladies have been so welcoming! My image is by JenLee for DigiStamps4Joy and is named Catherine! My dies are all from Spellbinders. Hope you will take part in the sketch challenge. So much fun and inspiration!

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

First time I have ever done a ribbon swap. And I have to tell you, it was wonderful!!! If you don't already belong to the Simply Betty Facebook Fan Page, you really should think about joining. There are swaps, free images every month, special images for different occasions, and we just have a lot of fun and support chatting about anything and everything!!

For the ribbon swap, we were partnered up with a participating member and were supposed to send out a package around July 1st to our partner with a maximum of $25 worth of ribbon. We were also given an image from Betty called Ribbon Rita. Then we could use the image to make a card or whatever we wanted with the image.

Well, my partner was none other than Betty Roberts herself. She is the Betty in Simply Betty Stamps. Oh my goodness!! Did I ever get the best partner or what? Wait til you see what all she sent me!!

This first picture is the closeup of Ribbon Rita that Betty colored in. I love that she put a princess tiara on it!!

This next picture is of the beautiful box that she decorated for me and has the Ribbon Rita on the top. How could I have been this lucky? I love this box and it will be with me forever and ever. Seriously, when I move to a nursing home, it will come with me!!! However, I hope that won't be for awhile! Hahaha

Inside my beautiful box, was an array of pink ribbon, some pink rhinestones, and twine. She must have known that pink is my favorite stamping color. I also got some Ghirardelli chocolate and Hershey kisses. As if I wasn't already in heaven with all the ribbon and that gorgeous box.

And then I also got a clear tin of ribbon that was so packed, I have no idea how long it took her to pack it all in there so perfectly. There is Christmas and Halloween ribbon and oh, my gosh, so much ribbon that I am never going to run out.

Here's a picture of everything I got! (Whoops! The kitty is mine.....not a gift from Betty!)

Here's a picture of the tin that was packed just perfectly full of ribbon! Have no idea how she did that!

And here are the contents all spilled out!! I did good, right?? Thanks, Betty! I love all that you do!!!

I hope you enjoyed looking at all of my new ribbons and trims. Here is the complete blog hop list if you want to see what the other ladies received from their partners!!

I have made a card using Fireman Jude Digi from Simply Betty Stamps. My favorite color scheme (or at least one of them) is Red, White, and Black. I colored my image with my copic markers and they are listed below. I used patterned papers for my layering! I finished off with some red brads on yellow washi tape (double layered because it had to cover red).

Hope you like my card and be sure to use your favorite color scheme and enter a card in the Challenge.

Remember this is a five day Challenge, so you have til Saturday to enter! Check the linky at the bottom of the Challenge page to see how much time you have left to enter.

Monday, July 29, 2013

This past week at the Outlawz Color Challenges, the theme was "Christmas in July". I have to admit I wasn't too keen on making a Christmas card right now in the middle of summer, but the beautiful color scheme really had me wanting to create something. The colors this week are Royal Purple, Fresh Olive, and True Gold and the twist was to add glitter.

I made a card using an angel image from Arizona Stamps. I colored with copic markers and added glitter to her wings. My punched borders are made with a border stamp by Martha Stewart.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Aw, seems like a lot of people I know lately are having injuries or illness! Definitely not good but the card I just made should bring a nurse rushing to your side! Haha--no just kidding about that. A nurse with a syringe is NEVER a good sign!

Monday, July 22, 2013

Just a brief post here today because I am actually on a much needed vacation.

Starting today at the Through the Purple Haze Challenges, we have our second challenge. This one is themed "Something with Flowers". You may use any company's products. Whatever you like. I don't know what the prize will be, but I'm sure it will be a good one! So be sure and enter your cards into the Challenge. And if you are one of the many that are going for the big prize around Christmas time, don't let this week pass you by. Remember, you must enter every week beginning July 15 through December 16!

I made my card with the Daisy Patch Bouquet stamp from Heartfelt Creations. I love their stamps because I have never seen better quality with their deeply cut rubber. And their stamps are just plain beautiful!

Here are the copic colors I used. I kept my coloring to a minimum. This lovely stamp really didn't require many markers. It has plenty of impact with just these five. I used some hot pink patterned paper for my background layer and finished off with a gingham ribbon. Hope you like my card!

Monday, July 15, 2013

Just in case you don't know, there is a brand new Challenge called Through the Purple Haze Challenges and I am ecstatic to tell you I was selected to be a member of the Design Team. We have gotten some great sponsors and there will be some awesome prizes. Our very first sponsor is Indigo Blu and their rubber stamps are wonderful.

We are having two challenges. One is for showing off your creations with Indigo Blu stamps and then we have another challenge going that is "Anything Goes". Just what it means---make a card, tag, wall hanging, scrapbook page, anything your heart desires and use images from any company you choose. Sometimes the Anything Goes challenges can be the most difficult because you are forced to put your thinking cap on!! The prize will be from Joanna Sheen.

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Ever since I got the Indigo Blu stamp set in the mail, I had been dying to make a card using the sparrow image. I stamped the image using Tea Dye Distress Ink by Tim Holtz on a piece of tan cardstock and then layered it onto a chestnut piece of cardstock. Both layers were cut with Spellbinders Labels 16. For the background, I just randomly stamped the leaves stamp from the set onto the tan cardstock. I finished it off with three copper colored button brads from Spare Parts and then layered on a piece of jute ribbon that was layered on a strip of the chestnut colored cardstock. I then adhered that layer onto a piece of ivory textured cardstock.

Tonic Paper Trimmer (my favorite trimmer--the paper doesn't move and you get a

good straight line every time

Be sure and enter the challenge at Through the Purple Haze Challenges. There are great prizes to be given away and if you enter every week from this time through the 16th of December you will be eligible to win the BIG prize!

Every Monday there will be a new challenge. Put that down in your Evernote, Daytimer, or whatever you use to keep your reminders! You will NOT want to miss a weekly challenge--keep the thought of that big prize in mind!!!!!!!!

Happy Crafting and I can't wait to see what you come up with for the Anything Goes challenge!

I am soooooo excited to tell you about the very first challenge of Through the Purple Haze Challenges. This challenge is the brainstorm of Anita Blake and she has been assisted by Debs Mitchell and Fiona Henderson. Debs and Fiona have helped Anita do a lot of the stuff that most of us don't ever think about in regards to challenges. Phew!!! There is a lot of work involved and these ladies have successfully launched this challenge in a very short time!

I was so thrilled to be selected as one of the Design Team members. This group of ladies are just the kind of people you want to surround yourself with. Very caring, helpful, and hard-working! I hope you will visit all of their blogs and see what creative project they created with our sponsor Indigo Blu. I am in love with the rubber stamps of Indigo Blu. Beautiful designs and quality rubber. I was jumping for joy when my stamps came in the mail because the set I got was absolutely gorgeous. It is called "Live, Laugh, Love" and I fell head over heels for it.

Before I show you my card, I want to tell you that you simply must go visit the challenge blog. To be eligible for a prize, you must use an Indigo Blu stamp . There will be instructions on entering the challenge on the challenge page. Indigo Blu will be giving the prize!

Be sure and enter this challenge and every weekly challenge thereafter through the 16th of December and you will be eligible for a chance to win a prize bundle that would be every stamper's dream!!

But without further ado, here is my card using a few of the stamps from the "Live, Laugh, Love" set.

I knew that I wanted to make a 5 by 7 inch card that had overlapping folds on the front that would be decorated with layers of squares including my stamped image. And I knew that I wanted to cut my flaps at an angle so that a small portion of the inside of the card would be exposed.

When I started, I didn't have a template but after much "trial and error" and some limited mathematics, I was able to get my card folded together and looking okay. Before I put the layered squares on, I did trace out a template so that it would be easy to make a similar card in the future.

I stamped the sentiment "Laugh as much as you Breathe" onto some white cardstock and cut it out with a square Spellbinders Nestabilities die and layered onto the next larger nested square of blue-violet cardstock and then layered onto the next size larger of Spellbinders Scalloped Square Nestabilities. Using Shaded Lilac Distress Ink from Tim Holtz, I stamped a background onto the white scalloped square with the butterflies from the Indigo Blu set. I set those layers aside while I used the border stamp and the small flower stamp to make backgrounds on the front of my card. I glued those layered squares that I had set aside to the top fold of my card. On the inside of the flap, I glued a blue-violet scalloped square so that the color matched the inside of my card.

The inside of the card is white cardstock cut down to 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches. I stamped the border stamp along the top and bottom and added the other sentiment "Live every moment, Laugh every day, Love beyond words".

Thanks so much.....three little words that mean so much! I made this Thank You card for the Outlawz Clean and Simple Sunday Challenge. The challenge was to make a OLC. Which means a One Layer Card so that involves stamping directly onto the card and having no other layers or embellishments. I kept thinking I needed some rhinestones or a ribbon but I used restraint. Haha

I used Memento Ink Pads on my Stampin' Up! set called Six Sided Sampler.

Friday, July 12, 2013

I made this card this morning for the Outlawz Creative Freebie Challenge. The Lily image is a digi that was a freebie from Anne Fenton given especially for this challenge. I colored the lily with my copic markers and then layered with papers, added the ribbon and the butterfly. Very simple! Hope you like it!
Darcy

The colors this week are Shadow Pink, Nymph Pink, and Meadow Yellow. The twist is "leaves" and I stamped a leaf stamp from Gina K Designs onto my lighter pink cardstock. I finished the edges of my layered image with pink washi tape. I hope you like it!

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Not sure how many people are old enough to remember that song by the Fifth Dimension. Up, Up and Away was recorded in 1967 and was a smash hit winning many Grammy awards. Whenever I see a hot air balloon, I am reminded of that song and then the little tune just stays in my head forever!!

My card below features a Hot Air Balloon digi image designed and drawn by artist Gerda Steiner. For right now, it is a freebie image and you can get it here. In fact, there is a 1st Freebie Design Challenge going on but hurry and enter because it ends July 14th at 8 p.m. PST!
Voting will start on the 14th of July and ends on the 31st of July at 7:55 PST. Whoever gets the most votes will get 3 digital stamps from GerdasDoodles Store on Etsy. So be sure and visit the challenge blog and get started! I'm also entering this card in the Outlawz Paper Ala Mode Challenge. The theme is summer.

P.S. On July 15th, be sure and visit the Through the Purple Haze Challenge Blog. It is a brand new challenge blog and I am excited to be part of the Design Team. There will be great prizes!
Spread the word!
Darcy

Thursday, July 4, 2013

I have a big announcement!! Anita Blake has put together a brand new challenge blog called Through the Purple Haze Challenges. She has selected a Design Team of varied talents. Some are brand new and some are quite experienced. With the varying talents, it should be a great working team!!!
And........
I'm so proud to say that I was selected to be a member of the Design Team. My very first spot at doing this and I am soooooooooooooooooooo excited about it! (I am one of the brand new ones and totally unexperienced but willing to learn all I can!)

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

I really love the color combo for this week's Tuesday Color Challenge at the Outlawz. The color combo is Burgundy, Antique Pink, and Ivory. The added twist is to use a girly image. My girly image is from Simply Betty Stamps. She is called March Hare Betty and is from the April Secret Release Betty Collection. I colored her with copic markers and the sentiment is from Gina K Designs.

Tomorrow is an official holiday in the United States. A day we celebrate to honor our independence and also a day known for picnics, fireworks, and for a lot of us a paid holiday.

My card below is a Happy Fourth themed card that I am entering in the Outlawz Twisted Thursday Challenge which I am getting in just under the wire as it changes to a new theme tomorrow.

My cupcake image is a digital design by Gerda Steiner, Gerda Steiner Designs, that was actually a freebie. I colored it with copic markers and then just did some layering with various papers. I used a star punch to make some red stars. Be sure to sign up for Gerda's newsletter. She will give away a new freebie image every month.

Monday, July 1, 2013

I stamped the image in Teal Zeal Memento Ink and used various shades of aqua to complete the sketch.
My base card layer was cut with my Spellbinders Grand Calibur Die Cutting Machine using the Grand Labels Die. My flourishes are Spellbinders also.

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